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Rb Hip Hop

Playboi Carti Finally Drops New Album ‘I Am Music’: Stream It Now

The long-awaited album arrived several hours after its original scheduled release time.

Playboi Carti photographed on Aug. 2, 2024 at Seret Studios in Brooklyn.

Playboi Carti photographed on Aug. 2, 2024 at Seret Studios in Brooklyn.

Matthew Salacuse

The wait is finally over: Playboi Carti has released his long-awaited third studio album, I Am Music on Friday (March 14) via AWGE and Interscope Records.

Spotify has been assisting with the album rollout over the last month by putting up billboards around major cities such as Los Angeles, New York City and Miami that read, “STREETS READY,” “SORRY4 DA WAIT” and “I AM MUSIC MF.”


I Am Music was preceded by one official single, “All Red,” which reached No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The rapper (real name Jordan Terrell Carter) also released a handful of songs on his YouTube and Instagram accounts, including “2024,” “BACKR00MS” featuring Travis Scott and “H00DBYAIR.” He also performed unreleased songs during his headlining set at Rolling Loud Miami in December, including “Lose You” featuring The Weeknd. Carti and The Weeknd’s “Timeless” collaboration from the latter’s Billboard 200-topping album Hurry Up Tomorrow reached No. 3 on the Hot 100 last year, following their platinum-certified “Popular” joint with Madonna.

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Carti is also headlining Rolling Loud California on Sunday, March 16. The festival posted on X earlier this week that his 2018 debut album Die Lit dropped the day before Rolling Loud Miami, and he’s continuing the tradition by dropping I Am Music the day before Rolling Loud California commences the weekend.

I Am Music arrives five years after his last LP, Whole Lotta Red. The 24-track project featured collaborations with Ye (formerly known as Kanye West, “Go2DaMoon”), Kid Cudi (“M3tamorphosis”) and Future (“Teen X”). The set topped the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, marking the rapper’s first No. 1 on both charts.

Listen to I Am Music below.

This article was originally published by Billboard U.S.

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Shhenseea, MOLIY, Skillibeng and Silent Addy
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Shhenseea, MOLIY, Skillibeng and Silent Addy

Awards

Here’s Why ‘Shake It to the Max’ Was Deemed Ineligible at the 2026 Grammys — And Why Its Label Calls the Decision ‘Devoid of Any Common Sense’

Representatives from the Recording Academy and gamma. CEO Larry Jackson comment on one of this year's most shocking Grammy snubs.

Few phrases define the year in music and culture like Moliy’s scintillating directive to “shake it to the max.” The Ghanaian singer’s sultry voice reverberated across the globe, blending her own Afropop inclinations with Jamaican dancehall-informed production, courtesy of Miami-based duo Silent Addy and Disco Neil. Originally released in December 2024, Moliy’s breakthrough global crossover hit ascended to world domination, peaking at No. 6 on the Global 200, thanks to a remix featuring dancehall superstars Shenseea and Skillibeng. Simply put, “Max” soundtracked a seismic moment in African and Caribbean music in 2025.

Given its blockbuster success, “Shake It to the Max” was widely expected to be a frontrunner in several categories at the 2026 Grammys. In fact, had the song earned a nomination for either best African music performance or best global music performance, many forecasters anticipated a victory. So, when “Shake It to the Max” failed to appear on the final list of 2026 Grammy nominees in any category earlier this month (Nov. 7), listeners across the world were left scratching their heads — none more than gamma. CEO Larry Jackson.

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